Drop Bars on a Mountain Bike

How much are you willing to spend on your Palomar to avoid buying a new bike, Craig?

It sounds as though you are considering buying a new fork, new shifters, a steerer tube extender, a
new headset, new XT or Ultegra derailers, new cogs and spreading the rear triangle. That will add up
to more than a decent new road bike, and you can do very well in the used market.

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992. I
am hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

Perhaps you should have a talk with your wife about false economy.

Quoted message said:

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.

Word, bro.

Quoted message said:

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded
but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks
occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully
use the same stem. Which brings me to...

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

Maybe. Are you aware that not all bars have the same diameter at the stem clamping area?

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra
shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the
break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

No, they won't. And you would be better off with BRAKE levers. They are safer.

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

Then you need new tires as well. Higher pressure tires with little or no tread will let you pick up
the pace much more than changing drivetrain parts.

Quoted message said:

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

No, but the gearing will likely be too low.

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

That you will end up with a very expensive and mediocre road bike. Don't bother.

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

Craig Newell wrote:

More like "can I build a road bike on a mountain-bike frame".

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig, I think you are either a troll, or certifiably insane. Either put aero-bars on the MTB and be
happy, or get another bike. For the price of your Ultegra STI shifters, one could buy a second-hand
road-bike thats better than the Frankenstein-bike you propose.

[email hidden] (Craig Newell) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded
but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks
occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully
use the same stem.

If you've got a threaded stem/fork/headset, and you want a threadless, you'd need a new stem,
headset and fork. Chances are if it's threadless that it's 1" anyway. You can get rigid forks in
threaded or threadless. I'd say stick with threaded so you can swap forks if need be.

Quoted message said:

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

Maybe. But if you put drop bars on, you'll feel very stretched-out, as they're farther forward.
Also, most threaded stems don't have removable faceplates. I just did one of these conversions,
thredless to threadless, and needed a 20mm stem to make it fit (now the steering is a little
twitchy.) If it's too long, try moving the seat up in the seatpost.

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers.

If you do what I did, you can get some DiaCompe 247-V brake levers (they're very nice, available at
Sheldon's site) to work with your existing v-brakes. Then, you can get bar-con (bar end) levers in 8
or 9 speed and switch them to friction to work with the 7-speed stuff.

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

My guess would be that XT would be cheaper - look on ebay for front derailleurs and stuff, they've
got good deals on xtr even. If you use XT, too, you can have a much wider gearing range and a
triple. Really, there's probably nothing wrong with what you want.

Quoted message said:

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

No, as far as I can tell, you're fine - just need the levers and bar end shifters. Once you get it
all rigged up, it works quite nicely.

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

Just that thing with the stem- you'll need one shorter, but don't want it too short or your
steering may get twitchy. Also, if you stick with threaded fork/stem/headset, it'll be a bother to
change the bars if need be. I've had good luck with IRC Metro 26" tires. However, if you get the
right kind of fork, I believe there are special v-brakes you can mount on a 26" fork and run 700c
wheels, with a standard aero lever (not a special v-brake one). Look on ebay for these... Good
luck, it's worth it! Matt

"Craig Newell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded
but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks
occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully
use the same stem. Which brings me to...

Threaded on a 2001 bike, really? You don't want a road fork but a ridgid MTB fork. I light one will
costs you upwards of $200, a cheap heavy one should be like $20 on eBay.

Quoted message said:

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

No, the bar clamp size is different.

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going hi0gher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra
shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the
break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

No the 9 speed shifters will not work on a 7 speed casseette. No the brake levers will not work
with V brakes.

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Grow some balls and go buy a new bike. It will cost less in the end.

Quoted message said:

Craig

Craig said:

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a new
bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If

the project is too expensive, it simply will not be done.

Quoted message said:

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.

I have a Specialized Rockhopper FS comp, that someone converted to a touring bike with drop bars,
racks front and back, fenders, bar end shifters, Diacompe levers etc. It is all XT with an XTR
reverse derailleur. It is a great bike as an all arounder, I paid $500 for it, about as much as I
would ever pay for a bike and it nice, but there are some issues you need to be aware of.

1. Fit. Mountain bikes are designed to fit with flat bars. Putting drop bars on a mountain bike
that currently fits will mean that the stem needs to shortened a great deal and in fact it may
be impossible to make the bike comfortable because you will be too stretched out. Also realize
that for off roading, the forward position that a road bike requires for braking is not ideal,
especially on a steep downhill.

2. Gearing. Most MTBs come with a compact drive crank these days. For most uses these are fine but
normally a 44 is about all you will find so you if you purchase the appropriate tires, ie high
pressure 1 inch tires, your top gear will we well under 100 inches.

Quoted message said:

So, to still be able to use the shocks occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a
threadless headset and hopefully use the same stem. Which brings me to...

Shocks with drop bars are a pain. When you brake you are already stretched out, the shocks accenuate
the dive. Once you do the conversion forget switching back.

Quoted message said:

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

See above about fit. Also others have commented on the fact that most road bars are 26.0 while MTB
bars are 25.4. Need a different stem but stems are cheap.

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano stuff
on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire drivetrain.
However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to ride while
waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra shifters be
compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the break levers be
compatible with my V brakes?

You can either go the travel agent route with the shifters or use separate brake levers and bar
ends. The bar ends will let you operate in the friction mode and thus use 9 speed shifters with a 7
speed cassette. To use STI shifters you would have to respace your current cassette with 9 speed
spacers, some more work.

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a combo
of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

This is about money mostly, so without knowing your situation, I would say the best crank would be a
standard 110-74 crank, this will allow you the widest range of chain ring choices, I would suggest
something like a 48-36-24. As far a rear derailleur, get MTB stuff, it will handle the big
differences in cogs better.

Quoted message said:

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

Probably unless you want to be stuck with a too low top gear.

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig

I am guessing that you probably paid about $300 for this bike what with Altus etc. To put drop bars
on it, get the shifters working, getting the cranks, bottom bracket, it probably will cost you
probably another $300 minimum and by the time you include another cassette, freehub, tires and
stuff, you will be looking at $500.

And the problem is that in the end, you will have $800's invested in a $100 frame that probably
won't fit right anyway.

The first such conversion I did was to my Softride MTB. I had all the parts and it was just time.
One ride around the block was sufficient to convince me that this was a poor idea.

-----------------

In my experienced, based on several years of being a "junk yard" engineer and bicycle mechanic is
that it is best not to ask a bike to be more than it is.

Leave this bike as it is, if you want to go faster, put on some 1 inch 100 psi tires and go for it.
The drop bars and gears and all will add a small amount but mostly if you put those tires on it,
that will do about as much as you can
do.

Over the season, keep your eye open for a decent road bike, your size that fits and is being sold at
a bargin price. A bike that cost $1000 or $2000 10 years ago can be bought for less than the cost of
upgrading to STI shifters, sometimes much less.

-----

It is better in my view to start with a bike designed for the job rather than trying to make
something into something it is not. Sure in the case of my Specialized someone took the time to do
this. But this bike is not particularily fast, certainly no faster than it would be with flat bars.
It is just a very solid bike that handles loads and rough roads well, looks nice and is durable,
reliable, uses 26 inch tires and tubes which are available in out of the way places...... For this
task, a nicely made steel MTB frame with a rigid fork is a reasonable choice..

I believe that experimenting as you propose to do is a good thing, but unless one wants some real
heartburn and heart ache over money spent with a sad result, it is best to do such experiments with
as little investment as possible. In my case, I am fortunate that I have a garage full of parts,
even a couple of extra frames, lots of wheels, chain rings, cranks, derailleurs.......

Bottomline: You are asking something of your current bike that is unreasonable, I believe when you
are done, you will be disappointed in the results. You would be wiser to find a decent road bike and
start from there.

The important factors about a road bike are not the things that you can easily change, brakes,
shifters and cranks, rather it is the geometry, the tires, and the fit. The 1984 SR Maxima that
hangs in my garage is realistically every bit as fast as the more recent vintage bikes, sure it has
friction shifting and only 6 or 7 speeds, but it fits and it wants to fly.

Jon Isaacs

"Matt J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Craig Newell) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are
threaded but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the
shocks occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and
hopefully use the same stem.

If you've got a threaded stem/fork/headset, and you want a threadless, you'd need a new stem,
headset and fork. Chances are if it's threadless that it's 1" anyway. You can get rigid forks in
threaded or threadless. I'd say stick with threaded so you can swap forks if need be.

Quoted message said:

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it
over to give the bars some rise?

Maybe. But if you put drop bars on, you'll feel very stretched-out, as they're farther forward.
Also, most threaded stems don't have removable faceplates. I just did one of these conversions,
thredless to threadless, and needed a 20mm stem to make it fit (now the steering is a little
twitchy.) If it's too long, try moving the seat up in the seatpost.

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers.

If you do what I did, you can get some DiaCompe 247-V brake levers (they're very nice, available
at Sheldon's site) to work with your existing v-brakes. Then, you can get bar-con (bar end) levers
in 8 or 9 speed and switch them to friction to work with the 7-speed stuff.

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

My guess would be that XT would be cheaper - look on ebay for front derailleurs and stuff, they've
got good deals on xtr even. If you use XT, too, you can have a much wider gearing range and a
triple. Really, there's probably nothing wrong with what you want.

Quoted message said:

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

No, as far as I can tell, you're fine - just need the levers and bar end shifters. Once you get it
all rigged up, it works quite nicely.

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

Just that thing with the stem- you'll need one shorter, but don't want it too short or your
steering may get twitchy.

This is something I've never fully understood or even experienced for that matter. I see "downhill"
stems offered with no extension. Downhillers don't want "twitchy" handling, do they? Could someone
explain it to me?

Quoted message said:

Also, if you stick with threaded fork/stem/headset, it'll be a bother to change the bars if need
be. I've had good luck with IRC Metro 26" tires. However, if you get the right kind of fork, I
believe there are special v-brakes you can mount on a 26" fork and run 700c wheels, with a
standard aero lever (not a special v-brake one). Look on ebay for these... Good luck, it's worth
it! Matt

"Raymo853" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Craig Newell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are
threaded but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the
shocks occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and
hopefully use the same stem. Which brings me to...

Threaded on a 2001 bike, really? You don't want a road fork but a ridgid MTB fork. I light one
will costs you upwards of $200, a cheap heavy one should be like $20 on eBay.

Quoted message said:

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it
over to give the bars some rise?

No, the bar clamp size is different.

Not necessarily. There are 25.4mm road bars available.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going hi0gher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new
Ultegra shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also,
will the break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

No the 9 speed shifters will not work on a 7 speed casseette. No the

brake

Quoted message said:

levers will not work with V brakes.

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Grow some balls and go buy a new bike. It will cost less in the end.

Probably true. I did this conversion once, on an old, rigid mtb. The stem change is the biggest
problem, since you have to shorten the reach by approximately the reach on the drop bars. That's
about 5-6cm, or more. If you're starting with a 12cm stem, you end up using one 5-6cm. Not alot of
choices there. I ended up using a Zoom adjustable angle stem, 9cm, angled sharply up to shorten it
even more.

Now, if the mtb was too small to begin with, this may not be a problem! ;-)

Ted is right. Get a low-end Fuji road bike for about the same $$$ as all of the upgrades that you're
planning (I recommend the Fuji Finest for excellent value). Remind your wife how cheap bikes are
compared to (a) hospitalization for cardiopulmonary disease (b) anything related to automobiles. Ask
her how much she has spent on clothes and shoes in the past year. One car payment will buy you a
decent road bike. It's about priorities; and bikes are fun, healthy, practical and cheap. There
aren't many things that are a better value.

-Barry

"Ted Bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How much are you willing to spend on your Palomar to avoid buying a new bike, Craig?

It sounds as though you are considering buying a new fork, new shifters, a steerer tube extender,
a new headset, new XT or Ultegra derailers, new cogs and spreading the rear triangle. That will
add up to more than a decent new road bike, and you can do very well in the used market.

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992.
I am hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

Perhaps you should have a talk with your wife about false economy.

Quoted message said:

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this
is not as easy as it sounds.

Word, bro.

Quoted message said:

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are
threaded but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the
shocks occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and
hopefully use the same stem. Which brings me to...

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it
over to give the bars some rise?

Maybe. Are you aware that not all bars have the same diameter at the stem clamping area?

Quoted message said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new
Ultegra shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also,
will the break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

No, they won't. And you would be better off with BRAKE levers. They are safer.

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

Then you need new tires as well. Higher pressure tires with little or no tread will let you pick
up the pace much more than changing drivetrain parts.

Quoted message said:

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

No, but the gearing will likely be too low.

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

That you will end up with a very expensive and mediocre road bike. Don't bother.

Quoted message said:

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Matt J" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Craig Newell) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

Just that thing with the stem- you'll need one shorter, but don't want it too short or your
steering may get twitchy.

This is something I've never fully understood or even experienced for that matter. I see
"downhill" stems offered with no extension. Downhillers

don't

Quoted message said:

want "twitchy" handling, do they? Could someone explain it to me?

They want to get back as far over the rear wheel as possible. After all, they're pointing downhill -
not uphill. I suppose if you're hanging your weight off the back of the bike, that should stabilize
the steering pretty well. DH'ers also sometimes use steering dampers, since they take some abusive
hits that can really [censored] the bars out of their hands.

-Barry

Thanks for your suggestions and help everyone. Could have done without the flames tho. Next time
shut the hell up.

I guess I will keep the bike as-is. Too much of a headache to make the switch.

Thanks again.

[email hidden] (Craig Newell) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone,

I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992. I
am hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded
but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks
occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully
use the same stem. Which brings me to...

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra
shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the
break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

6. What else am I not seeing?

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig

Quoted message said:

Craig said:

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! ....

"Jon Isaacs" replied :

Quoted message said:

2. Gearing. Most MTBs come with a compact drive crank these days. For

most

Quoted message said:

uses these are fine but normally a 44 is about all you will find so you if

you

Quoted message said:

purchase the appropriate tires, ie high pressure 1 inch tires, your top

gear

Quoted message said:

will we well under 100 inches.

It depends on how fast you ride. My touring bike has a top gear of 99 gear-inches. Spinning pedals
at 80 rpm still means I could pedal while riding at 38 km/h (24 mph). Let's say it doesn't happen
often. BTW, 44/11 gives 108 gear-inches.

Quoted message said:

Craig said:

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new
Ultegra shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will
the break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

"Jon Isaacs" replied :

Quoted message said:

You can either go the travel agent route with the shifters or use separate brake levers and bar
ends. The bar ends will let you operate in the

friction

Quoted message said:

mode and thus use 9 speed shifters with a 7 speed cassette. To use STI shifters you would have to
respace your current cassette with 9 speed

spacers,

Quoted message said:

some more work.

Bar-end shifters are much cheaper than STI. Now, you have 2 options: getting bar-end shifters or STI
for 7 or 8 speeds (almost similar spacing), or getting shifters for 9-speed. If you go the 9-speed
route, there is an alternate cable routing that allows you to use an 8-speed or 7-speed cassette
indexed with 9-speed shifters. If you go the 7- or 8-speed route, you should shop around to find
some used or NOS stock, left on the shelf by roadies that really wanted to get their 9-speed "now".
Finally, if you go for STI, there are some incompatibilities between "road" and "mountain" front
derailleurs, Not sure exactly, but I think it means you will need a new front derailleur. Bar-end
shifters, on the other hand, are compatible with _any_ front derailleur and almost any chainrings,
including those you have.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

Why change things that work?

P.S. Moneywise, wouldn't getting a used bike be cheaper?

Regards,

Michel

In article <[email hidden]>, Craig Newell

Quoted message said:

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.

I did that back in the day. It looked cool, but even on the shorter top tube MTB frames in the early
80s it was a bit of a reach for off-road riding. I eventualy took them off.

If you want a dedicated road bike it'll be much cheaper to just buy an inexpensive used one. You can
get one for much less than the Ultegra parts you propose to use, you will wind up with a better bike
in the bargain, and you will still have a mountain bike.

Eric

Craig Newell said:

Quoted message said:

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

Quoted message said:

I guess I will keep the bike as-is. Too much of a headache to make the switch.

Here's a suggestion:

1) take the GT to a friend's house: tell the wife you're gonna work on switching the bars there

2) buy a new bike with the same color frame as the GT. Maybe even a new GT bike, so it has that
same "triple triangle" thing. Store the new bike at your friend's house.

3) go to the friends house a few times over the course of a couple of weeks, to "work on the
bike"

4) while at your friends, ride your new bike, getting it dirty.

5) bring the new bike home.

I was gonna get a new motorcycle this way, but my co-conspirator moved.

Duke

Duke Robillard said:

Here's a suggestion:
1) take the GT to a friend's house: tell the wife you're gonna work on switching the bars there

<snip>

Quoted message said:

5) bring the new bike home.

Or, you can do what a friend did and say he only bought a new frame. He went from a matt black to
a silver/chrome. His theory was that the huge contrast between frames would be enough to offset
the differences between _everything_ else. I thought he was being delirious, as he was going from
~AU$3500 to ~AU$7000+ worth of bike.

I was interested in seeing if his wife was going to buy it. I don't think she did, but figured
that he was going to spend the money anyway, so pretended... Her reasoning was "at least he isn't
doing drugs".

--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <counter.li.orgcounter.li.orgOpen ↗

Craig, I'd like to do this with my comfort bike. I was thinking about just using the dia-comp levers
with some rapid fire shifters on top of the bar. I figure about $100 for the parts. I do have a
rigid fork however.

I am keeping the gears. you'll get my 22 tooth chainring when you pry my cold dead fingers from
around my suspension seatpost.

Steve.

Craig Newell said:

Hi everyone,

I realize this issue has been raised before, but most of the posts I have found date from 1992. I
am hoping to update this thread with ideas using current technology.

Ok, I have a 2001 GT Palomar mountain bike which I MUST USE!!!! My wife will not let me buy a
new bike, even if the new one will be cheaper. If the project is too expensive, it simply will
not be done.

So the goal is to put drop bars on my bike. I like the feel of them better. But of course, this is
not as easy as it sounds.

1. I will want to swap my RST bouncy fork for a rigid one. I suspect my head tube is 1 1/8"
(please correct any wrong info) and that it will not take a normal road fork with 1" steerer
tube. Can anyone recommend a LIGHT rigid fork for a 1 1/8 headtube? Also my shocks are threaded
but I would like the new forks to be threadless. So, to still be able to use the shocks
occasionally, I was going to use a steering tube extender, a threadless headset and hopefully
use the same stem. Which brings me to...

2. Is it possible to use the same stem for road and mountain geometries simply by flipping it over
to give the bars some rise?

3. Drop bars will need new shifter and brake levers. Now, since I have really low end Shimano
stuff on the bike now (Altus), I have no issues with going higher end for the entire
drivetrain. However, I would like to buy the parts over the run of a season and continue to
ride while waiting for the next part. SO, since I have a 7 speed freewheel, will my new Ultegra
shifters be compatible until I upgrade the freewheel to a 9-speed cassette? Also, will the
break levers be compatible with my V brakes?

4. When it comes to getting my new drivetrain, should I go all Ultegra or should I go XT or a
combo of both? I will be doing mostly road but some hard path and single track as well.

5. Will I have to replace my cranks and chainrings for this whole thing to work?

6. What else am I not seeing?

Ok, what does everyone think?

Craig

"Robin Hubert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

6. What else am I not seeing?

Just that thing with the stem- you'll need one shorter, but don't want it too short or your
steering may get twitchy.

This is something I've never fully understood or even experienced for that matter. I see
"downhill" stems offered with no extension. Downhillers don't want "twitchy" handling, do they?
Could someone explain it to me?

Quite frankly, the "twitchiness" of a shorter stem in this (drop bar) case is probably mental.
Someone mentioned that it would be twitchier, and it makes sense. However, DH bikes have such steep
head tube angles that it doesn't really matter how short the stem is, I assume. Matt

Matt J said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just that thing with the stem- you'll need one shorter, but don't want it too short or your
steering may get twitchy.

This is something I've never fully understood or even experienced for that matter. I see
"downhill" stems offered with no extension. Downhillers don't want "twitchy" handling, do they?
Could someone explain it to me?

In this situation, "twitchy handling" means "if you move your hands a little, tiny bit, the wheel
moves quite a lot." To make that happen, you make the distance between your hand and the steerer
tube as short as possible. That's direct distance, "as the crow flys" distance, "put a string
between your hand and the steerer tube and measture the length" distance. (The key is the radius of
the arc your hand describes, for anyone who remembers high school math.)

There are several ways get "twitch": short stem, narrow bars, move your hands inward. DH bikes have
massively wide bars, which makes up for the short stem.

I like really wide bars, because they're forgiving. If you move them a little too far, it's not a
disaster...you can miss some, and it won't stick your wheel in a rock. It's one of the ways I use
technology to make up for my lack of skill and fitness. :-)

Duke

Whoaaa! Everybody was way too harsh here. First off, the idea of going full nine speed ultegra/xt is
probably excessive. Really, it's mostly for fashion as for most of us using lower end parts is
functional. You can get a set of bar end shifters and aero levers for a decent price, get a cheap
ridgind fork, and you can buy 25.4 mm road bars. The only problem will be the levers and the brakes.
V-brakes require a fair bit of cable pull, so you want to either get cantis, or some of those
diacompe v brake drop levers. STI is nice, but unneccesary and finicky. I'm rocking a set of bar end
shifters right now because of versatility, even though I marginally prefer STIs. I'd reccomend you
do a half ass crossover, concentrating on fitting the bike right, and save up for when you can
justify a new bike-and have decided you are fully ready for a road bike. If you do want to ride
occassionaly on trails, your eventual goal might be a cyclocross bike.

Good luck!

Whitfit.

Remeber when this was the nuts? Tomac, Murray, etc... Boy, those were the days...

Wait, what am I talkng about. I was 8 at the time...